Chrysanthemum plant named &#39;zanmuspen&#39;

ABSTRACT

A  chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Zanmuspen’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with white ray florets with a cream center and prolific branching; natural season flower date August 25-30 (week 35); blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium Ramat., and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar denomination ‘Zanmuspen’. ‘Zanmuspen’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new chrysanthemum cultivars with a double type infloresence, a natural season flower date starting at August 25-30; blooming for a period of 5 weeks. ‘Zanmuspen’ is a seedling resulting from the crossing of the female parent id 2862 and male parent id 3052. Plants of ‘Zanmuspen’ differ from plants of the female parent in the color of ray-florets: yellow in the female parent and white in the seedling. Plants of ‘Zanmuspen’ differ from plants of the male parent in the natural season blooming period; those of the seedling flower 1-2 weeks earlier.

The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as a flowering plant by Wilhelmus Bernardus Blom on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands in 2005. The first act of asexual production of ‘Zanmuspen’ was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were used from the initial selection in 2005 and propagated further in a controlled environment in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom of the new cultivar.

FIG. 3 shows the various stages of foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 22 in 2008. The natural blooming date of this crop was August 25-30 (week 35) . The average height of the plants was 25 cm. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with white ray florets and a cream center blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to ‘Zanmuspen’ is ‘Zanmustarbu’ (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/003,539). When ‘Zanmustarbu’ and ‘Zanmuspen’ are being compared the following differences are noticed: The differences of ‘Zanmustarbu’ and ‘Zanmuspen’ are (1) Natural season blooming date. (2) Variance in ray-floret length. And (3) Variance in ray-floret width. (1) Under natural conditions, plants of ‘Zanmustarbu’ flower one week earlier than those of ‘Zanmuspen’. (2) There is a larger variation in ray-floret length in ‘Zanmustarbu’ than in ‘Zanmuspen’. (3) There is a larger variation in ray-floret width in ‘Zanmustarbu’ than in ‘Zanmuspen’.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘Zanmuspen’ as a new and distinct variety.

The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 2001.

TABLE 1 Botanical Description of chrysanthemum plant Chrysanthemum xmorifolium Ramat ‘Zanmuspen’ Bud Size Small; cross-section 0.4 cm, height 0.2 cm Shape Oblate Texture Pubescent Outside Color Greyed-green 191A Phyllaries Number 30, arranged in 3 rows Shape Elliptic Apex Acute Base Truncate Margin Entire Color Upper side Greyed-green 191 A Under side Greyed-green 191 C Length and width 4 mm; 1-2 mm Texture Pubescent Inflorescence Type Double Height 1.8 cm Diameter   6 cm Peduncle length   7 cm Peduncle color Greyed-green 191 B to 191 C Peduncle diameter 1.5 mm Peduncle surface Pubescent Number per branch Approx. 10 inflorescences Flowering period individual Ca. 4 weeks inflorescence Seeds Produced in small quantities, ovate, Greyed-brown 199A, length 1.5 mm, diameter 0.8 mm Fragrance Faint chrysanthemum odor Color Center of inflorescence (ray- Immature stage: Yellow 10A florets) Mature stage: Yellow 10A Color of upper surface of White 155A mature ray-florets Color of the lower surface White 155D of mature ray-florets Tonality from Distance A garden mum with white inflorescences and a cream center Color of the ray-florets after White 155A with sometimes at edges aging of the plant Gey-Brown 199D Ray florets Texture Upper and lower side smooth Number 180 Shape Oblanceolate Apex Rounded Base Acute Cross-section Convex Longitudinal axis of Straight majority Length of corolla tube 5 mm Ray-floret margin Entire Ray-floret length 2-3 cm Ray-floret width 3-6 mm Ratio length/width High Disc florets Absent Receptacle Color Green 138D Shape Conical raised Height 0.5 cm Diameter 0.5 cm Reproductive Organs Androecium Absent Gynoecium Present in ray florets Style colour Yellow-green 154C Style Length 3 mm Stigma colour Yellow 3A Stigma Width 1 mm Ovary Enclosed in calyx Plant Form Grown as a potmum, outdoor raised and mounded Growth habit Spherical shape Growth rate Medium Height 25 cm Width 40 cm Stem Color Greyed-brown 199A Stem Strength Strong Stem Brittleness Not brittle Stem Anthocyanin Coloration Not observed Internode length 1-2 cm Length of lateral branch From top to bottom 18 cm Lateral branch color Green 137 C Lateral branch brittleness Medium Lateral branch diameter 2 mm Branching (average number Prolific with 8 breaks after pinching of lateral branches) Natural season blooming date August 25-30 to September 22-27 Foliage Leaf color Upper side: Green N 138B Lower side: Green N138C Color midvein Upper side: Yellow-green 147D Lower side: Yellow-green 148D Size Small.; length 4-6 cm, width 3.5-4 cm Quantity (number per lateral 24-26 branch) Shape Elliptic Texture upper side Sparsely pubescent Texture under side Pubescent Venation arrangement Palmate Shape of the margin Serrated Shape of Base of Sinus Rounded Between Lateral Lobes Margin of Sinus Between Converging Lateral Lobes Shape of Base Truncate Apex Mucronulate Petiole length 0.3-1 cm Petiole diameter 2-3 mm Petiole color Yellow-green 147D

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison variety ‘Zanmuspen’ ‘Zanmustarbu’ Natural season blooming date August 25-30 August 18-23 (week 34) (week 35) Variance in ray-floret length 2-3 cm 2-3.5 cm Variance in ray-floret width 3-6 mm 2-7 mm 

1. A new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum plant as described and illustrated. 